35: FIGHT BACK
Brian tried to kick away desperately but someone was holding his arms back firmly. He struggled in confusion as cruel hands gripped him so tight that he wanted to scream. Then he felt himself being pushed back upwards. There was a cold, steel blade pressed against his throat. From above him, he heard Sammy’s wails of terror. The fear struck Brian as well when he realised who held him. It was Pete.
36: APPROACHING AID Brian heard the splashing as Pete chased after him. He was gasping after only a few seconds. He couldn’t keep it much longer. He would never out swim Pete to the cliffs! He wanted to rest… he wanted Sammy back.
“Thought you could just leave me to die, eh?” Pete hissed in his ear.
Brian did not dare reply with the pressure of a knife against his throat.
“Let him go!” Sammy cried. He tried to climb back down to the ledge above Brian but Kevin held him back.
“Shut up, you ungrateful little brat! “ Pete yelled. “I’ll get you later!”
“Let him go, Pete!” Another voice said and Brian recognised Harsen. Would Pete do anything in full view of a police officer? Brian would bet every penny on it.
Pete suddenly slashed the knife through Brian’s arm. He screamed as the warm blood flowed into the water and the salt stung the wound.
“Stay out of this or his throat’ll be next!” Pete screamed hatefully. “I want my son and I want you to let us go, otherwise I will kill this one! I will kill him!”
Nick made to clamber down the rocks to him.
“Stay where you are! All of you!” Pete said.
Nick froze. Brian saw his friend’s blue, fear filled eyes dart to Brian and the knife. He saw the agonisingly look upon his face as he meekly returned to the top of the cliff.
Brian felt tears in his eyes. He had been so close to escaping this nightmare but now it looked as if it would never end. He would not get out of this alive. He trembling so much that he was afraid Pete would put the knife through his neck accidentally. He was so icy cold and tired. He could see blood swirling in the water, HIS blood. It made him feel sick. He couldn’t move he was that paralysed with fear.
“No! No! Daddy!” Sammy screamed, trying to wrench himself out of Kevin’s arms.
“That had better have been directed at me!” Pete said and Brian felt the pressure increase as the knife was pushed further against his throat.
Sammy continued to cry.
“There’s no where left to run, Pete,” Harsen said. “Let him go and things will go easier on you in court.”
“I want my boy!”
“He’s not yours anymore!” Harsen said.
Pete growled and then began to drag Brian away from the cliffs. Brian tried to push him away but Pete delivered him a dizzying blow across the head with his fist. Brian gave a slight cry and felt himself go limp in Pete’s iron grasp. He was so tired… so tired…
“I come with you!” Sammy screamed. “ No hurt him!”
‘Don’t let him go, Kev,’ Brian prayed. He himself might not be safe but Pete would never hurt Sammy again now.
“I’ll be back later!” Pete snapped, as he continued to drag the hopeless Brian out to sea. “It’s time I dealt with you,” Pete muttered. “I’ve been looking forward to killing you and I’m going to enjoy it.”
“Daddy! Daddy!” Sammy continued to yell. The tears in his little voice were easy to hear and Brian had to muffle a sob. He would never hold his little boy again.
“Where are you taking me?” he whispered.
Pete did not answer.
Brian wanted to fight Pete and swim back to the cliff but he felt too weak. His head throbbed and he would never swim far with his arm ripped open and exposed to the stinging, salty water. He wanted to go back. He would do anything to get back to Sammy. He needed him still.
“A – are you going t – to kill me?”
“I told ya that already didn’t I?” Pete said. “My son will learn that the only father he has is me.”
“They’ll never let you take him.”
“Shut up! When I’m through with you I’ll go back for him!”
“You’ll never get him! You’ll never be a father to him!”
Pete lashed out at Brian’s face with the knife. Brian instinctively put his arm up and then screamed as the cold blade sliced through his skin a second time.
“Maybe I can’t have Sammy, but there’s no way they’re getting you back in one piece!” Pete advanced upon Brian with the knife.
Brian trembled and Pete laughed at his feebleness. It was becoming harder for Brian to stay afloat. He had lost all of his energy by his swim to the cliff with Sammy. Sammy… he had to get back to him. He couldn’t give up. He wouldn’t let Pete separate them.
Brian felt a small surge of energy at the thought of Sammy. He would get back to him, he promised himself. He suddenly kicked Pete between the legs. The older man howled and Brian wasted no time in knocking the glinting knife from his hands. Then he began to swim back to the others.
“You fucking bastard! I’ll kill you with my bare hands!”
***********************
“We’ve got to go after him!” Sammy heard Nick say.
“Find daddy!” Sammy agreed.
“We can’t! If we do, he’s dead for sure! Besides, you’d never catch them up now!” Harsen said.
“But Pete’s going to murder him anyway!” AJ yelled.
Sammy began to wail even more at these words. It couldn’t be true, he couldn’t be about to lose Brian.
“AJ!” Kevin yelled, putting an arm around Sammy.
Sammy tried to pull away but the big, strong man refused to let him go. He didn’t want him. He wanted Brian, his daddy.
“I want daddy!” Sammy continued to cry. Then he stopped as a fit of sneezes caught him unaware.
Howie knelt down beside him with a tissue and began to try and wipe Sammy’s face. “You’re not well are you?” Howie said, gently.
“There’s a helicopter coming in to help. It’ll be here soon. We just have to hope that Brian can hold Pete off until it arrives,” Harsen said.
“You saw what state Brian was in! Do you think he’ll be able to put up a fight against a murderous maniac?” AJ snapped.
‘Let him be okay,’ Sammy prayed.
“I’m going after him,” Kevin said, handing Sammy over to Howie and striding to the cliff top.
“You can’t!” Harsen said. “You know what’s out there as well as I do! You go, you’re as good as committing suicide! Are you relly going to let your family suffer two losses? You know you won’t make it out there in time and Pete would probably come after you when he’s finished with your cousin!”
“Brian’s fighting back!” Nick yelled, pointing out to sea. “Look!”
“Daddy!” Sammy rushed forward and used his hands to wipe away the tears that blurred his vision. Brian was swimming away from Pete. A small fire of hope began to flicker inside of him.
Nick placed his hands on Sammy’s shoulders. “Your daddy’s not through yet, hey?”
Pete lunged for him and Brian dived down under the surface. It was his only option. He could swim quicker underwater. Maybe he could lose him somehow…
He did not dare look behind him as he swam, he just ordered himself to carry on. then he saw the shadow to his right and Pete was upon him. Bubbles of air were forced through Brian’s lips as Pete’s mammoth arms squeezed the air out of his lungs. Water began to rush into his mouth and Brian felt the awful wave of nausea as the water ran down his throat. He thrashed madly but his attempts became weaker as his body began to run out of oxygen and more water flowed into him. He opened his eyes and saw blood… then he saw the sleek, dark shadow gliding towards them…
He struggled with pure panic and kicked his legs until Pete’s grip loosened upon him. He kicked his attacker away and rushed towards the surface and the refreshing air it would provide for his lungs.
He gasped as he broke the surface, but he could barely stay afloat. The cliffs were closer now, but he would never make it. His body would never take him that far.
Pete emerged from beneath him and pushed him away. Brian gave a half hearted cry as Pete hit his bloody arm. He could feel his body beginning to succumb to the sea. He kept sinking beneath the waves. Pete laughed as his foe spluttered and struggled to stay afloat. He was terrified. he had always feared drowning or suffocation. The thought of running out of oxygen and being powerless to breathe… it gave him an icy feel to his stomach, worse now that his worst fear was becoming horrifying reality. He was going to die and he wasn’t ready.
“I’m going to watch you drown,” Pete hissed.
Brian looked about him fearfully.
‘I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die!’
**********************
Sammy stayed close to Nick as he watched Brian fighting for survival. It was becoming more and more difficult for him to see, though. His head hurt and his eyesight was becoming more and more blurry by the minute. He was cold, icy cold. A sickness sat in his stomach as he saw Brian battling with Pete on the waves.
He coughed a few times. His throat hurt. He could feel the coldness inside of him, even with Howie and Nick’s coats wrapped around him. He began to cough even more. He couldn’t stand, his legs felt like water.
Nick caught him as he sunk to the ground. Sammy pressed closer to his warm body and shivered.
“You’ll be okay, Sammy. Help will be here soon,” Nick said.
“Want Daddy,” Sammy murmured. He closed his eyes as the tears started up again. He cuddled Nick close, wishing it were Brian.
Suddenly, a loud whirring noise overhead caught his attention. He looked up to see a red, fuzzy object flying towards them.
“The helicopter’s here,” Howie said. “You’ll be all right now, Sammy.”
“Daddy,” Sammy said. He turned his head to try and look back out to sea.
“He’s still out there, Sammy,” Kevin said. “He’ll be with you soon. You’ll get your daddy back.”
*************************
“NO!” Pete shrieked, as he saw the helicopter approaching the cliff.
Brian smiled with relief. Help was coming. Just a few more minutes and he would be safe with Sammy.
“My son!” Pete screamed. “Don’t take him you bastards! He’s my son!” Brian could see him visibly trembling with pure fury. He turned to swim back but he would never make it in time and he knew it.
Pete turned to Brian. His eyes glittered with an evil malevolence. The look alone made Brian go cold. He wasn’t safe yet…
Brian knew what that look meant. He was dead now. He tried to swim away but Pete grabbed his leg and yanked him back.
“You,” he said through gritted teeth. “You bastard! This is your fault! You should have let me kill you quicker and then I could have got my son away from your freaky, fucking friends! I’ll kill you!”
Brian screamed as Pete punched him in the face. He felt the pain rupturing round his jaw. He could not take this, not for much longer. He tried to dive under again but Pete gripped him tighter. Brian looked into his cruel, crazy eyes and realised that Pete had no intentions of letting him escape. He rained another pounding blow upon Brian, this time in the stomach. Brian felt his muscles tighten with the pain.
He looked up and saw the helicopter land upon the cliff top. Sammy was safe and he would be as well, but he had to hang on. He kicked his legs out to try and wriggle free and felt his trainer connect with Pete’s knee. He howled in pain and rage. Brian began to swim away again, his nerves making him unsteady. He kept expecting to be pulled beneath the waves. He knew his blood had already attracted some unwelcome visitors and that the kicking would have made it even worse.
He focused his eyes on the cliff. The helicopter was taking off again. Behind him he heard the roars of Pete as he struggled to catch his victim. Brian felt tears in his eyes. He wanted to go home. He wanted to be home with Sammy. He wanted to see his family and friends again.
The helicopter turned slowly to head out to sea. Brian waved his hand frantically as he ducked beneath the waves again, swallowing salt water in the process. Pete continued to thrash towards him. Brian took a deep breath. He had to keep away from Pete, just for a few minutes longer… he dived back under the water. He found himself face to face with a grey, pointy nosed fish. Two tiny, black eyes and rows of jagged teeth looked back at him.